Flexible knee braces are used by athletes and other persons engaged in vigorous physical activity to protect the knee from injury and to avoid exacerbation of existing injury. The knee is one of the most heavily used joints of the body, as it is used in any activity that involves walking or running.
The knee is also a common subject of injury, due to the relatively high levels of stress it must bear under dynamic loads that are often multiples of the entire weight of the body. During normal ambulation, in occupations involving physical labor, and especially during strenuous sports, the knee can undergo abnormal motions as a result of quick changes in direction, fatigue, uneven surfaces, or impacts. These abnormal motions can cause sprains or more serious injuries, such as dislocation, stretching, or tearing of the tissues that make up the knee.
For these reasons, devices to protect the knee against abnormal motions have been used for many years, in a variety of specific embodiments which vary in their abilities to protect against different types of abnormal motions. One such prior art knee brace, called the PSB Knee Brace, is marketed by NEA International, BV of Maastricht, the Netherlands. The industrial design of the PSB Knee Brace is disclosed in FIGS. 3.1-3.6 in International Design DM/052483.
Many of the features of the PSB Knee Brace are known in the field of athletic braces. The PSB includes an elastic sleeve base with upright support members formed of resilient stay members placed in pockets located on each side of the base. The PSB Knee Brace also includes an aperture through which the patella (kneecap) extends when the brace is worn, and a patella support panel mounted at the position of the patellar tendon and below the patella when the brace is worn.
The PSB Knee Brace includes an elastic mesh support layer, on top of the elastic sleeve base. The elastic mesh support layer is positioned vertically above the patella and patella support panel when the brace is worn, and extends approximately to the vertical midpoint of the patella on each side of the patella. The elastic mesh support layer extends only slightly beyond the upper edge of the patella support panel when the brace is worn, where it is attached on each side by a single sewn seam approximately 2.5″ long between the upper edge of the patella support panel and the elastic sleeve base. The elastic mesh support layer of the PSB Knee Brace does not extend below the patella, nor does it completely encircle the patella.
What is needed is a knee brace having an elastic sleeve base, upright support members, a patella support panel, and an elastic mesh support layer, wherein the construction of the brace is adapted to promote the cooperation between the elastic sleeve base, the patella support panel, and the elastic mesh support layer. What is further needed is a knee brace having an elastic sleeve base, upright support members, a patella support panel, and an elastic mesh support layer, wherein the construction of the brace is adapted to promote the cooperation between the elastic sleeve base, the patella support panel, and the elastic mesh support layer, and wherein the upright support member includes at least one mechanical hinge. What is further needed is a knee brace having an elastic sleeve base, upright support members, a patella support panel, and an elastic mesh support layer, wherein the elastic mesh support layer includes two side-by-side portions that are fastened together in at least a partially overlapping fashion.